Firefighters tackled a substantial early-morning blaze at the closed Occombe Farm visitor attraction near Paignton, with the former cookery school building described as being completely destroyed by crews at the scene. The incident, attended by multiple fire stations, raised concern among nearby residents and comes as the long-running site remains in transition following its closure.
Response and scale of the fire
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service said crews were called to the site on Cockington Road at about 04:07 BST. Firefighters from Torquay, Paignton and Newton Abbot stations attended, using jets, hose reels and an aerial ladder platform as they worked to prevent the blaze spreading to neighbouring buildings and surrounding grassland.
“A large fire had broken out at Occombe Farm,”
At the height of the operation an aerial ladder and a water bowser were deployed. Crews also coordinated to ensure the aerial ladder had a continuous water supply while firefighters operating from the platform flooded the fire from above. Despite these efforts, the building involved was destroyed.
What is known about the site
Occombe Farm, one of Torbay’s better-known attractions, closed in October after the charity that ran it entered liquidation because of financial pressures. The site previously combined food, farming, tourism and education and included a café and a cookery school — the latter being the part of the site lost to the blaze.
- Call received: about 04:07 BST
- Fire stations on scene: Torquay, Paignton, Newton Abbot
- Equipment used: aerial ladder platform (ALP), water bowser, jets and hoses
- Outcome: cookery school building completely destroyed; fire contained without reported spread to grassland or other buildings
Community and next steps
Residents in the vicinity were advised to keep doors and windows closed while the fire was active. Torbay Council has previously indicated plans to sell the Occombe site to a developer named Greendale, a process that will now proceed with the knowledge that one building on the site has been lost to fire.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Occombe Farm, Cockington Road, near Paignton |
| Time of call | About 04:07 BST |
| Crews attending | Torquay, Paignton, Newton Abbot |
| Damage | Former cookery school completely destroyed |
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service focused on both extinguishing the blaze and ensuring it did not spread to nearby grassland and other structures. At the time of reporting there have been no official statements about the cause of the fire and no reported injuries. Local residents and anyone with information relevant to the incident are likely to be asked to assist as any investigation by the fire service or other authorities progresses.
The loss is a setback for the site’s future plans and a material change to the footprint of the attraction that has stood for almost two decades. Recovery and any redevelopment discussions will now take place with the understanding that the cookery school no longer exists.
